Post-honeymoon reception ideas?

arice3372

Okay so my FI and I are going to Hawaii, just the two of us, and my mom is going to throw us a reception when we get back from our honeymoon. I need some help with 1) wording for the invitation since its just the reception and 2) some ideas of what to do at said reception. It's going to be small, only about 60 people and there may or may not be a dance but no formal one (no first dance, mother/daughter etc). All we've come up with so far is to have dessert, play the newlywed game, have open-mic memory sharing/toasts, share a video of our ceremony on the beach, and maybe a bonfire (it's all gonna be outdoors and we have a bonfire pit, dance floor, gazebo, and boardwalk available to us). Does any of that sound dumb/cheesey? Do you have any ideas on activities, music, or invitations? I'll take all the help I can get!

DramaGeek

CMGr nailed it.  Honestly, if I were invited to a dessert only reception without a ceremony attached I probably wouldn't attend.  I think a meal or, at the very least heavy apps, is necessary.  What time are you thinking of having it?

Summer2011Bride

I would also probably at least provide heavy apps, if not a meal, especially since they are coming (and possibly traveling) to just attend a reception, not a ceremony.

I would also forego the big white dress, tosses, first dance, etc.

[Deleted User]

A classmate of mine eloped due to being in the miltary. When he got back to his hometown his parents through him & his wife a party. It was a traditional reception in many aspects, we had dinner & dancing & there were toasts. The bride did wear her dress one more time which as a guest I thought it was nice because no one had had a chance to see her in it before since they eloped.

artbyallie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_post-honeymoon-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:7e4b2e0e-30d0-416c-95eb-7601b1f6c6b6Post:269caa64-421f-4c72-8dbf-deb077562004">Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]A classmate of mine eloped due to being in the miltary. When he got back to his hometown his parents through him & his wife a party. It was a traditional reception in many aspects, we had dinner & dancing & there were toasts. The bride did wear her dress one more time which as a guest I thought it was nice because no one had had a chance to see her in it before since they eloped.
Posted by Erikan73[/QUOTE]

<div>You will find the military brides board here on TK frowns on this sort of thing.</div>

alithebride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_post-honeymoon-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:7e4b2e0e-30d0-416c-95eb-7601b1f6c6b6Post:932ccbb5-f551-4c1f-a1b6-7bc36d6f5d53">Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]I would also probably at least provide heavy apps, if not a meal, especially since they are coming (and possibly traveling) to just attend a reception, not a ceremony. I would also forego the big white dress, tosses, first dance, etc.
Posted by Summer2011Bride[/QUOTE]

exactly this.
and the open mic memory thing? great for you not for the guests. nix it.

Jenninupland

My Fiance are doing the same thing, small family ceremony in Hawaii and reception here at my in-laws. We are playing the wedding video, but in the living room area where you can view if you want to. I am wearing my dress because most of the family that can't attend will not have seen me dressed. We are also doing heavy app menu, passed and buffet as well as a cake cutting. If you are going to have a dance floor why not have the first dance, mother son etc, unless you are doing it in Hawaii, or don't want to do it at all.

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_post-honeymoon-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:7e4b2e0e-30d0-416c-95eb-7601b1f6c6b6Post:a8b6df44-70d0-48fe-b586-951a4a30c034">Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas? : This is NOT the same thing at all.  The OP is eloping with her fiance to be married in Hawaii.  You are planning a destination wedding with guests.  You will have a wedding reception in Hawaii after youir ceremony with the family members who attend it.  Elopements do not have wedding receptions. The first dance, bouquet toss, mother-son dance should take place at your wedding reception.  The event you are planning back home is NOT a wedding reception, because you already had that in Hawaii.  You cannot save events from your wedding reception to do at a different time. You are planning a party to celebrate your marriage.  It is NOT a wedding reception, and you will look foolish if you try to make it into one.  The wedding reception is not a party for YOU.  It is a thank you to your guests for attending your ceremony.  It takes place on your wedding day, not several weeks later.
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

I disagree with some of this.  DH's father could not attend our wedding in Philly for health reasons and asked to host a second reception in San Francisco.  We were not about to tell him no.  My SIL sent out invitations to our reception and planned the whole thing which included a short video that our niece made of the wedding and reception, a toast by SIL that also welcomed everyone, plated dinner, open bar and a cake cutting.  DH wore a suit, I wore my dress.  Considering that SIL had to change the location twice because every single person invited RSVP'd yes - and there were a couple tables full who were not even invited who called to say they were coming, I don't think any of the guests thought we looked foolish for doing this.  In fact, it looked like a real life version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (complete with this Irish/French girl being told "My daughter just told me 'Mom. She looks Greek.'").

I have a lot of friends from across the country who had their wedding and reception in one place and then a second reception a plane ride away in another city that was hosted by a family member (usually the B or G's parents).  At every other one, the bride wore her dress again (which I never once heard anyone criticize but heard many times that they were glad she did), the couple had dancing, cake cutting and a toast to thank everyone for coming.  We stole an idea from one and had pictures of the wedding mounted on cardboard tents and these were part of the centerpiece for the second reception.

This is becoming more and more common as people move away from where they grew up but I do think there needs to be a significant distance. 

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_post-honeymoon-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:7e4b2e0e-30d0-416c-95eb-7601b1f6c6b6Post:54604546-6373-471d-b9f8-88cbf1295751">Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas? : See, I have to disagree.  I have a close friend doing something similar to this, though there is no reception the day of her wedding.  I don't know why you can't have a RECEPTION when you get home if that's what you want.  Why does the reception HAVE to be immediately after the wedding?  The reception is a thank you, yes, but it is also a party to celebrate a marriage.  Why can't your party have the elements of a reception?  Who said that toasts and dances can only happen at this one event (and that it must immediately follow the ceremony).  It's all personal opinion, and I say as long as you are respectful, it's your day.
Posted by MeghanandBenSpencer[/QUOTE]

You do have to host something for the people who attend your wedding even if it is such cake and punch. If they are travelling to be there though, you need to give them actual food.

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_post-honeymoon-reception-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:7e4b2e0e-30d0-416c-95eb-7601b1f6c6b6Post:9dcb3014-df93-4377-9277-438996fe0d69">Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Post-honeymoon reception ideas? : See, I have no issue with this at all.  I think anything within a reasonable time frame of the wedding itself is fine to be treated as a reception.  In my circle private ceremonies and big receptions are pretty normal, so why does it matter to me if the private ceremony happened here or in Cincinnati.   As long as the couple hosts a reception for those who attended the ceremony as well, has the second reception within a reasonable timeframe, and doesn't have a fake do-over ceremony, I could care less what the bride wears, whether they cut the cake, etc. <strong>  I do still hate watching full ceremony videos though.  Always have, always will.
</strong>Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

I'm with you on this one.  Niece did a video to a Stevie Wonder song.  That was it.

ShannonW62510

I think this sounds like a wonderful time. 

- I personally love watching ceremony videos, espcially if people haven't seen it. If they love you both, then I think they will live it. If you wanted to make the video more entertaining, you could get it edited in a different/fun way.

- I think that with the reception size you can get away with doing the games and sharing stories about the couple, etc. 

At the end of the day, it's about you two. You really can do anything you want. And if you don't have a reception in Hawaii because no one is there with you, who says you can't have the celebration of your marriage be like a wedding reception? That's the great thing about weddings now, you can make them as individual as the couple getting married!